African Mining in the Late 1990s: A Silver Lining ?

Paper describes in detail the current structure of ownership and control in African mining and mining processing, post-1994 restructuring in the South African industry, the current exploration boom in Africa and the tension between large-scale industrial and small-scale "artisanal" mining. It concludes by asking whether African mining is experiencing re-birth and sketching an agenda for future research in the area.

Argues that it is likely that an increase in African exploration will be seen in the next decade: Africa being a more likely expansion area than the former Soviet republics. Areas of identifiable growth include:

• Growing Ghana gold production
• increased exploration also in Francophone West Africa
• exploration boom focused on gold but also including base metals, in the East African countries, in particular Tanzania and Ethiopia but also Kenya and Uganda
• privatisations in Congo
• interest in privatisation in Zambia
• hope for a Namibian mining revival
• opening up for foreign investment of the mineral-rich Mozambique and Angola
• a new platinum mine in Zimbabwe